Presser-foot for shoe-sewing machines.



I. A. KELLY.

PRESSER FOOT FOR SHOE SE-WlNG MACHINES.

APPLICATION mzo NOV. 3. 19:3.

1,8163%. Patented Feb. 20,1917.

JokriAlfiaZQ ATTORNEYS JOHN A. KELLY, or PIV-IILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA.

PRESSER-FOOT FOR. SHOE-SEWING MACHINES.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2Q, 1917.

Application filed November 3, 1918. Serial No. 738,799.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. KELLY, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Presser-Foot forShoe- Sewing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a presser foot for shoe sewing machines, the objectbeing to so con duct the operation of stitching the upper and the soleas to secure a tight and uniform seam with less tension on the workingparts.

The presser foot of this invention is char: acterized by a constructionwhich presses the upper against the perpendicular face of the shoulderon the sole, and said presser foot not only retains the upper inengagement with the top face of the sole, but its primary purpose is topress the upper into the space between the flange and the perpendicularface of the shoulder while the stitching operation is being conducted,the upper and sole being held in the necessary firm relation while thesewing machine locks the stitch, whereby the machine is relieved ofunnecessary or undue tension.

An important function of the presser foot is that it determines the pathof the needle, thus preventing it from passing either too high or toolow into the shoulder of the sole. This is due to the fact that when thepresser foot acts to press the upper in the recess or space of the sole,the members of the presser foot are positioned next to and upon theshoulder, and thus the needle in its movement through the throat of thepresser foot is compelled to pass into the shoulder at the pointdetermined by the position of the presser foot.

Other features and advantages of the illvention will be pointed out inthe following detailed description.

Figure 1 illustrates a last with a sole and an upper of a turn shoeapplied thereto showing the relation of the new presser foot and of theneedle before stitching.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the presser foot in an operativeposition to force the upper into the space between the flange andshoulder of the insole, the needle being thrust through the upper andthe sole for producing a seam.

Fig. 8 is a perspective viewof the improved presser foot removed fromthe machine.

A designates the presser foot consisting of a single piece of metalshowing the form shown more particularly in Fig. 3. The operative end ofthis presser foot is forked at a so as to produce a recess or throatthrough which a needle C is adapted to operate in the usual way. Byproviding the fork in the operative end of the presser foot, two membersA A are formed. The member A is provided with a curved face for contactwith the upper in a manner similar to the ordinary presser foot of ashoe stitching machine, but the other member A is peculiarly constructedfor the purpose of.

carrying out this invention. Said member A is recessed at Z) so as toform a toe piece 0 and a pressure shoulder (Z, the latter beingpositioned below the toe piece 0. The member A is somewhat longer thanthe corresponding member A so that the toe piece 0 extends upwardly andbeyond the operative or free end of member A As shown, the presser footis provided with a pivot e by which it is hung on or to an operatingpart of the machine, and said foot is provided, also, with an aperture fadapted to receive a pin from an operating part of the machine so thatthe presser foot will be operated in the required manner and at therequired times.

The presser foot of this invention is employed on shoe sewing machinesof the ordinary or standard construction. The presser foot is usefulparticularly on machines for sewing turn shoes and in the manufacture ofsuch a shoe the sole D and upper E are lasted in the ordinary way upon alast F, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

As is usual in the art the sole of a turn.

shoe is provided with a marginal flange g, a shoulder and achannel'i'producing a feather in which a part of the seam is adapted tolie. The sole is imposed upon the last for the flange g to besubstantially flush with the outer surface of the last, the shoulder itbeing perpendicular to the last so that the sole is in a position forreceiving the upper which is to be stitched thereto. The upper is lastedin the ordinary way to the flange and shoulder of the sole, but in theoperation of stitching the upper and the sole the presser foot performsthe important function of drawing the edge portion of the upper intotight engagement with the top surface of flange g and the perpendicularface of shoulder 71,. During the sewing operation the operative end ofthe presser foot is presented to the upper and the sole in the positionsshown in Fig. 2, the member A and the shoulder (Z entering the space orrecess between the flange 9 and shoulder h of the upper, whereas the toepiece 0 lies over the top edge portion of the sole. The presser footthus applies pressure to the edge portion of the upper so as to presssaid upper into firm engagement with the perpendicular face of shoulderh and at the same time the upper is pressed downwardly upon the top faceof flange g and the incised portion 11 of the sole, all as clearly shownin Fig.2. While the upper is retained in the described relation to thesole the needle C passes through the upper and the shoulder of the soleso as to produce a seam and at this time the parts are held in thedescribed relation while the machine locks the stitch. As a result ofthese operations the upper and the sole are united by a tightly lockedseam, and the machine is relieved of undue tension, it being apparentthat the new presser foot acts to apply pressure to the parts in a wayto preclude the common objection of a loose or slack seam.

While I have shown and described the presser foot as being especiallyadapted for producing a tight seam on that class of shoes known in thetrade as a turn shoe, it is apparent that the presser foot may be usedalso on machines for sewing other styles of shoes so as to secure tightseams.

In the ordinary way of lasting and stitching, the upper is drawn overthe sole and tacked against the top face of the sole, thus leaving therecess or space next to the shoulder unfolded by the upper, as shown inFig. 1. Now, my invention acts upon the upper so as to press the sameinto this space or recess, as shown in Fig. 2, the result of which isthat the upper is drawn or pressed tightly against the shoulder h, andis held in such firm tight position until the machine locks the seam.

As is usual in sewing machines of the kind I with which my presser footis employed, a feeder or awl is positioned to travel in the channel onthe opposite side from the presser foot, said feeder or awl acting as asupport for the last against the thrust of the presser foot and serving,also, as a guide in the sew ing operation. I 1

Furthermore, the common method of stitching requires the thread to beplaced under very considerable tension, but in my invention, the presserfoot holds the upper so tightly against the shoulder and top face of thesole that the sole and upper can be stitched and the seam locked withoutrequiring such considerable tension on the thread; in fact, the threadtension can be reduced at leastone-half and still secure a good tightseam.

to apply pressure thereto for forcing said upper into the recess of thesole and against the perpendicular face of the shoulder thereon, theother member of said presser foot being positioned for contact with thatpart of the upper which overlaps the sole, where by the presser footacts directly upon the upper and the sole for drawing the upper intoclose contact with the shouldered part of said sole during the stitchforming operation and the position of the needle relatively to theshouldered part of the sole is determined with accuracy.

2. In a shoe sewing machine, the combination with a last adapted tocarry an upper and a sole the marginal portion of which is recessed toproduce a marginal flange and a shoulder, of a presser foot providedwith two members one of which is longer than the other and is providedwith a toepiece, said short member of the presser foot being positionedto enter the angle formed by the flange and shoulder of the sole so asto apply pressure to said upper for folding said upper into the recessand against the shoulder of the sole, and the other longer member ofsaid presser foot being positioned for the toepiece to contact with theupper and press the latter upon the face of the sole, whereby thepresser foot cooperates directly with the upper so as to draw ittightly'relatively to the flanged and marginal portion of the sole andthe position of the needle relatively to the shouldered sole isdetermined with accuracy.

8. A presser foot for shoe sewing mal. A presser foot the operative endof which is provided with a plurality of members unitary w1th sa1dpresser foot and separated relatively to each other by an interveningnee(.lle-tl1roat, one of said members being provided with a pressureshoulder and with a toe piece, said pressure shoulder being positioned.substantially in the plane of the operative face on the other of said1,216,324 lei ,members and said toe piece extending forwardly withrespect to the upper portion of said pressure shoulder, said toe piecebeing so related to the pressure shoulder that the contact of thepressure shoulder and the operative face of one member with an upper toforce the latter into the angle of an insole brings said toe piece intoposition for pressing the marginal portion of said upper into contactwith the top surface of the insole.

5. A presser foot the operative end of which is provided with twomembers unitary with said presser foot, one of said mem bers beingprovided with a pressure shoulder and with a toe piece the latterextending beyond said pressure shoulder, and the operative face of theother of said members being positioned rearwardly of said toe piece ofthe first named member.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN A. KELLY.

Witnesses:

H. I. BERNHARD, M. C. RODRIGUEZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

